"Eldest brother, second brother, third brother, if everything is predetermined, then I was too hasty! Fine! I'll go with you all!"
Xuanwu finished speaking, and his massive body quickly shrunk, eventually transforming into the size of a normal turtle.
Then, the space rippled, and the figures of Long'er, Xiao Hu, Huang Yi, and Xuanwu had vanished before Ye Lingyuan and the others.
"Little one, I have returned to my rightful place. Let's go together!"
Xuanwu's voice echoed in the ears of the four.
At the same time, the white light around Zi Linling suddenly dissipated, and she landed steadily within "Chong'er."
Concurrently, the restraints on Ye Lingyuan and the other three vanished.
To have contracted a divine beast while unconscious, such luck was unique to Zi Linling in this world.
Ye Lingyuan closed the coffin lid, shouldered "Chong'er" once more, and steered the single-plank boat made of parasol wood forward at great speed.
The residual divine beast pressure of Xuanwu here deterred other beasts in the Death Marsh from approaching.
After a few breaths, the four finally leaped out of the Death Marsh with Shangguan Yulin and Zi Linling.
Naturally, the moment they exited the Death Marsh, the nauseating stench disappeared.
Fresh air wafted towards them, allowing them to once again feel the joy of surviving a catastrophe.
Ye Lingyuan glanced back at the seemingly sealed Death Marsh and continued forward.
Soon, they arrived at Liangzhou City.
Liangzhou City was the last human settlement in the west of the Tianci Continent.
Beyond Liangzhou City lay the third great perilous land, the Endless Desert, and connected to it was the fourth great perilous land, the Divine-Demonic Forest.
The situation of two great perilous lands being adjacent was extremely rare, almost unheard of.
And at the end of the Divine-Demonic Forest lay the spatial rift they were searching for.
In other words, Liangzhou City was their last resting place, and every step taken thereafter would be fraught with extreme danger.
Therefore, the group rested in Liangzhou City for a day, replenishing some resources. Rongguang also took the opportunity to refine several batches of poison and antidote pills.
Shangguan Yulin had also awakened, and his cultivation had stabilized at the peak of the early Divine King realm, just one step away from breaking through to the mid Divine King realm.
While not comparable to Ye Lingyuan, who had already broken through to the late Divine King realm, he had still surpassed Shen Liuxing, Xuanyuan Xun, and Rongguang.
The next day, as the eastern sky began to show the first hint of dawn, the five set out again with Zi Linling.
The boundless wilderness was vast, and even with their divine senses fully extended, they could not see its edges.
To save time, Shen Liuxing released his Crimson Feather Swallowtail Eagle, and Ye Lingyuan summoned the chariot pulled by the four mythical beasts, Qiongqi.
Just as when they had left Central City, Ye Lingyuan sat in the beast-drawn chariot with Zi Linling in his arms, while Shen Liuxing, Xuanyuan Xun, Shangguan Yulin, and Rongguang sat on the back of the Crimson Feather Swallowtail Eagle.
However, before they had flown far, they were forced to land.
Because, not far ahead, a row of hundred-zhang-tall giants had appeared.
It was fortunate that the Crimson Feather Swallowtail Eagle reacted quickly, and the four Qiongqi were experienced; otherwise, the five beasts and six people would have become the giants' meal.
After being forced to land, Shen Liuxing and Ye Lingyuan quickly recalled the eagle and the four beasts.
Then, they began to run forward rapidly.
In the eyes of the giants, the five running figures were like five ants, not even worth their attention.
Their thick, sturdy legs were like towering peaks, blocking the path of the five.
The five had no choice but to dodge left and right, squeezing through the gaps between their legs.
Since the giants were too large and inflexible, and too lazy to bend down to catch a few small ants, the group managed to pass without incident.
After squeezing through, Shen Liuxing was about to release the Crimson Feather Swallowtail Eagle again, but Ye Lingyuan stopped him.
He followed the direction Ye Lingyuan was pointing and soon saw a flock of large birds in the sky being effortlessly caught by the giants and stuffed into their mouths to be eaten.
The blood trickling from the giants' mouths, and the faint sound of cracking bones, sent a chill through the group.
To avoid meeting such a fate, the five could only fly close to the ground.
Soon, they had left the group of giants far behind.
Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, a dangerous aura enveloped them.
A rustling sound entered their ears, making their scalps tingle.
"Be careful of your footing!"
Ye Lingyuan shouted, dodging a black object under his foot.
Immediately after, their path was blocked by these densely packed things.
The five were forced to stop, forming a circle with their backs to each other.
Soon, the black things emerged from underground.
The earth cracked open, and enormous scorpions appeared before their eyes.
Ten-tailed Demonic Rock Scorpions!
A chill ran down the spines of the five.
The Ten-tailed Demonic Rock Scorpion was the most troublesome type of scorpion.
Their carapaces were incredibly hard, like rock.
Moreover, their ten tails were incredibly agile, equivalent to ten lives.
If they couldn't be severed all at once, their ferocity would be completely unleashed.
Even more terrifying, these gregarious creatures possessed a strong sense of unity, and once enraged, they were incredibly difficult to deal with.
"Master of the Underworld Abyss Hall, what do we do?"
Xuanyuan Xun and Shangguan Yulin asked, their hearts filled with trepidation.
Shen Liuxing also looked at Ye Lingyuan, awaiting his answer.
"Kill!" Ye Lingyuan said coldly.
As the three were about to unleash their attacks, they heard Rongguang say, "Wait! Scorpions fear fire and light! Brother Shangguan, unleash the Vermilion Bird's Flame!"
Having spoken, Rongguang quickly mobilized the laws of fire within him, condensed them into a fireball, and threw it into the scorpion swarm.
The scorpions touched by the fire immediately began to crackle like firecrackers.
A strong, fishy stench wafted over, making them dizzy.
Seeing Rongguang's attack succeed, Shangguan Yulin quickly took out his Vermilion Bird Feather Fan and communicated with the Vermilion Bird's Flame within the fan.
The level of the Vermilion Bird's Flame was already higher than the laws of fire, so it instantly cleared a large area in front of the five from the Ten-tailed Demonic Rock Scorpions.
The remaining Ten-tailed Demonic Rock Scorpions, seeing their companions reduced to ashes, went mad.
They fearlessly swarmed towards the group, their venomous tails emitting a chilling aura.
Ye Lingyuan was not to be outdone. The laws he comprehended were numerous, including the laws of fire.
With a thought, the surrounding laws of fire rapidly surged towards him, instantly condensing into a massive fireball of the laws of fire.
"Bang! Puff! Boom!"
The fireball of the laws of fire was thrown to the ground, instantly transforming into raging flames.
In the inferno, a constant crackling sound could be heard, but it did not deter wave after wave of Ten-tailed Demonic Rock Scorpions.